VIDEO: Too much dead wood in the council complains Cllr Tucker.

Councillor Jeff Tucker has been working to address a parking issue that stems back to 2002, seventeen years on and still despite ongoing negotiations has not been dealt with.

Councillor Tucker told the Havering Daily:

“The council have failed, one department can’t negotiate with another department and they can’t get themselves together”.

The matter relates to the parking issues local residents are facing along St Helen’s housing estate in Rainham.

Mr Tucker continued:

“People are using the site as a free car park and parking in the areas where the housing residents should be parking. So when residents can back from work to park on the estate they have no where to go.

“The area is being used by others as a free car park and the parking spaces along the old social club is being used by pick up trucks and a looks like a car maintenance zone.

“Parking tickets have been issued but when people appeal them and challenge them, they win so this does not deter them from parking there.

Councillor Tucker has also complained about the number of councillors and that there is too much ‘dead wood’ in the council.

“I have written to the council and told them that there is too much dead wood and that the number of councillors should be cut. We should reduce our councillors by a third and have only two councillors per ward.

“Some councillors don’t really have too much participation in the council and never really get involved in council issues.”

Havering’s Leader of the Council Councillor Damian White told the Havering Daily:

“The issue with St Helen’s way is that the council can not enforce any legal action at the moment. However, we are looking at ways to deal with this problem.

“In regards to our staffing, the council are making cuts over the next few years as part of our transformation programme.

“We are the fifth most efficient council in the country, we restructure and run a good practice service.

“We will be reducing our staff over the next few years so we can make sure we are even more efficient.